3 ms·

Tell HN: Searching for videos on Google gives better results than YouTube

21 points by behnamoh 4y ago

I don't know why YT's search quality is so poor. If I want to search for something on YT, I'm much better off googling it instead of using YT's search engine (sometimes also appending site:youtube.com to my query). It all seems like a lost opportunity for YT. Then again, maybe it's designed to increase views rather than provide actually useful information to users.

themodelplumber 4y ago
I usually find what I want, but I think it's interesting that they have started to weave in kinda-irrelevant stuff--videos I've already watched, and other classifications like "Channels New to You", even stuff that's completely unrelated to the search term in many cases. It seems like they are now treating the search results page as an interest-capture page, rather than just a query-results page. So: I wonder if people on the YT team realized that a certain number of users are, for example, bad at searching. Or they just don't find what they want. So they're more likely to leave maybe. In such a case maybe they like seeing something they _like_ in the results anyway, and they stick around longer as a result. Or IOW, maybe they were losing traffic because, broadly speaking, a lot of people search, get the traditional query-style results, then leave.
jmathai 4y ago
More shocking is that when I’m on my phone I will search for a video using Google on Safari. I expect to get to YouTube. I am just realizing this! I have the YouTube app installed and I still prefer the experience through the browser over of the app. The UX I the YouTube app when you’re watching a video (non full screen) and want to search is very unergonomic. Seriously, try it. 1. Play a video in portrait 2. Look for search. Nowhere to be found. 3. Tap on video. Notice small upside down caret. Tap it. 4. Notice search icon at top. Tap it. 5. Start typing. Enter search and see results. They must lose engagement or money to their search. Or more likely, they gain engagement and make more money via recommendations.
reify 4y ago
I decided years ago not to use YT directly. I learned my lesson searching for a new RX580 on amazon a few years ago, only to be provided with pages of useless cheap products from manufacturers like PUSOKEI, dpofirs, bewinner, tonysa, rongM, ciciglow and RKRLJX. At the very minimum I want AMD to be at the top of the page. I dont use amazon anymore. When YT and amazon provide useless search results they keep you on the pages for longer. More time to serve more ads. Simple! I search for and watch all YT videos using the qwant search engine video section. No ads, no waiting for ads to finish, no skippable ads. Heaven
ctchocula 4y ago
I've had the opposite experience. Searching for soccer highlight videos on Google oftentimes returns a fake video (generally showing highlights of the wrong match or FIFA video game of the same match). However, searching on youtube makes it much easier, because you can see the channel and how many views it has had. Using this information, you can often minimize chances of clicking a fake highlight video.
saurik 4y ago
While I disagree that it is so clear cut--I think some queries do work a lot better on YouTube directly--is this even bad? Isn't the user better off using a general search engine--one that is capable of finding videos anywhere, even if they aren't on YouTube--than using one specifically designed to search within the walls of a single garden? Shouldn't we hope that YouTube takes this as a sign to simply remove their search feature entirely, rather than a sign to double-down on the "lost opportunity" of ensnaring users into full captivity?

21 points by behnamoh 4y ago

themodelplumber 4y ago

I usually find what I want, but I think it's interesting that they have started to weave in kinda-irrelevant stuff--videos I've already watched, and other classifications like "Channels New to You", even stuff that's completely unrelated to the search term in many cases. It seems like they are now treating the search results page as an interest-capture page, rather than just a query-results page. So: I wonder if people on the YT team realized that a certain number of users are, for example, bad at searching. Or they just don't find what they want. So they're more likely to leave maybe. In such a case maybe they like seeing something they _like_ in the results anyway, and they stick around longer as a result. Or IOW, maybe they were losing traffic because, broadly speaking, a lot of people search, get the traditional query-style results, then leave.

jmathai 4y ago

More shocking is that when I’m on my phone I will search for a video using Google on Safari. I expect to get to YouTube. I am just realizing this! I have the YouTube app installed and I still prefer the experience through the browser over of the app. The UX I the YouTube app when you’re watching a video (non full screen) and want to search is very unergonomic. Seriously, try it. 1. Play a video in portrait 2. Look for search. Nowhere to be found. 3. Tap on video. Notice small upside down caret. Tap it. 4. Notice search icon at top. Tap it. 5. Start typing. Enter search and see results. They must lose engagement or money to their search. Or more likely, they gain engagement and make more money via recommendations.

reify 4y ago

I decided years ago not to use YT directly. I learned my lesson searching for a new RX580 on amazon a few years ago, only to be provided with pages of useless cheap products from manufacturers like PUSOKEI, dpofirs, bewinner, tonysa, rongM, ciciglow and RKRLJX. At the very minimum I want AMD to be at the top of the page. I dont use amazon anymore. When YT and amazon provide useless search results they keep you on the pages for longer. More time to serve more ads. Simple! I search for and watch all YT videos using the qwant search engine video section. No ads, no waiting for ads to finish, no skippable ads. Heaven

ctchocula 4y ago

I've had the opposite experience. Searching for soccer highlight videos on Google oftentimes returns a fake video (generally showing highlights of the wrong match or FIFA video game of the same match). However, searching on youtube makes it much easier, because you can see the channel and how many views it has had. Using this information, you can often minimize chances of clicking a fake highlight video.

saurik 4y ago

While I disagree that it is so clear cut--I think some queries do work a lot better on YouTube directly--is this even bad? Isn't the user better off using a general search engine--one that is capable of finding videos anywhere, even if they aren't on YouTube--than using one specifically designed to search within the walls of a single garden? Shouldn't we hope that YouTube takes this as a sign to simply remove their search feature entirely, rather than a sign to double-down on the "lost opportunity" of ensnaring users into full captivity?